If you think dancing is enough you don't need to hit the gym, think twice.
I made that mistake once. 6 months sabbatical from the gym and it took me 18 months to get back in shape.Dance is a visual art. Besides being technically good,the dancer needs to be appealing, I constantly compare my old photos to check if I am putting on.
Dance tones the legs and arms but what about the abs? Nothing other than the dreadful crunches works. The odissi belt accentuates the waist.Unlike the saree, the dance attire isn't too flattering. Well,Protima Bedi with her perfect 10 figure popularized the dhoti style attire!
High intensity cardio like kickboxing, step and treadmill are excellent for stamina. 5 minutes on stage translates to 15 minutes of high cardio.Dance pieces like Battu and Dasabatar are killers.You have to work on building your stamina.
Weight training is good for bone density and muscle toning. I combine this cardio routine with yoga - vinayasa style. Yoga has increased my flexibility and calmed me.I don't have to hear Madonna to last through a weight class, I can exercise to softer instrumental music.
It's good to bring variety to your routine. A relaxing swim or latin dancing is what I do. Dancing in my own orbit and matching new choreography is so much fun. When I can dance in a carefree manner,it releases all the pressure of being on stage.I have been fortunate enough to train with one of the best Latin dancers of the state.
My mantra is eat right, exercise right but hit the gym anyway.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Jagannath calling
On the eve of Vijay Dashami, 2007 I decided to check out the new temple in the nearby town of Wayne.During the course of my conversation, the President of the temple invited me to perform for Ekal Vidhyalaya Fundraiser.I was scheduled to perform that very evening for Kallol's Durga Puja.
If the timing was right, I knew I could handle both the events. Zee TV Chairman, Mr. Subhash Goyal was the guest of honor. Things were picture perfect! I finished my dance and went for a darshan. What a surprise! Lord Jagannath- the main deity of Odissi was in the temple hall. I knew I had his blessings.Elated, I drove to the next show in Central Jersey.
If I thought I was done, I was mistaken. The drama was not over.Driving back in the night, I was stuck with chronic toothache. Thank god! It was after the show. Next day, I went in for an emergency root canal.
Ever since, I have performed regularly for Rath yatra and other festivities at the Wayne temple.
Jagannath swami nayanpathagami bhavatu me
If the timing was right, I knew I could handle both the events. Zee TV Chairman, Mr. Subhash Goyal was the guest of honor. Things were picture perfect! I finished my dance and went for a darshan. What a surprise! Lord Jagannath- the main deity of Odissi was in the temple hall. I knew I had his blessings.Elated, I drove to the next show in Central Jersey.
If I thought I was done, I was mistaken. The drama was not over.Driving back in the night, I was stuck with chronic toothache. Thank god! It was after the show. Next day, I went in for an emergency root canal.
Ever since, I have performed regularly for Rath yatra and other festivities at the Wayne temple.
Jagannath swami nayanpathagami bhavatu me
Jai Ho Longi!
Going to the TV Asia studio in Edison was a spur of the moment decision. The weather gods usually don't cooperate on the days of my shows. We had been personally invited to the choreographers meet in Edison. There was no way we could back out.
Dressed traditionally, I drove with my guru Mitra to meet Longi Fernandez,the Bollywood choreographer of Jai ho fame.Longi was an amazing, down-to-earth personality, who won the crowd with his simplicity and ofcourse, his famed salsa.
We seeked his advice on how to balance traditional dance repertoire with new choreography. Speaking from his heart, Longi adviced us. Being classical dancers, we can't deviate from our core strength. We have to use our classical training to our best advantage, use our footwork, grace and bhava to enhance our dance. We must present our dance in a manner which appeals to an younger generation. There is no need to imitate other western dance styles or compromise on our classical technicalities. Ancient Indian dance has its own unique charm. We need to blend the old and the new.
We knew we were on the right track. Preserving the age old classical tradition is our mission but at the same time we need to incorporate new choreography, so that people are not overwhelmed by classical dance.
Jai ho Longi!
Dressed traditionally, I drove with my guru Mitra to meet Longi Fernandez,the Bollywood choreographer of Jai ho fame.Longi was an amazing, down-to-earth personality, who won the crowd with his simplicity and ofcourse, his famed salsa.
We seeked his advice on how to balance traditional dance repertoire with new choreography. Speaking from his heart, Longi adviced us. Being classical dancers, we can't deviate from our core strength. We have to use our classical training to our best advantage, use our footwork, grace and bhava to enhance our dance. We must present our dance in a manner which appeals to an younger generation. There is no need to imitate other western dance styles or compromise on our classical technicalities. Ancient Indian dance has its own unique charm. We need to blend the old and the new.
We knew we were on the right track. Preserving the age old classical tradition is our mission but at the same time we need to incorporate new choreography, so that people are not overwhelmed by classical dance.
Jai ho Longi!
Farewell gift
Singapore is my second home. I stayed for a brief period but it was one of the happiest periods of my life.Living in an ocean front condo and having a wonderful set of friends, life could't have been better.I was heartbroken at the thought of leaving everything behind.
As a farewell gift my friends got me a huge box. I was shellshocked at the size. Maybe it was a joke! They were probably trying to cheer me up. As I opened the package I saw a beautiful, bronze idol of Nataraja- the Lord of dance.I was in tears. I couldn't figure out why they had to make such an effort and scout Singapore to get me something Indian, when any paraphernalia from Chinatown would have made me happy.
Moving to our new home in New Jersey, I displayed the Nataraja very prominently in my living room. A few months later, I had this desire to pursue dance. I couldn't wait anymore! That's when I came across my Guru Mitra and resumed dancing.
There was a reason why Nataraja came into my life. Even if it means re-aligning my furniture, I practice in his prescence. My kids are contended to see me dancing while I am cooking or supervising their homework.
I am glad I am able to pass this love of Odissi to them. All thanks to my friends, who gave me the most perfect farewell gift- the Singapore Nataraja.
As a farewell gift my friends got me a huge box. I was shellshocked at the size. Maybe it was a joke! They were probably trying to cheer me up. As I opened the package I saw a beautiful, bronze idol of Nataraja- the Lord of dance.I was in tears. I couldn't figure out why they had to make such an effort and scout Singapore to get me something Indian, when any paraphernalia from Chinatown would have made me happy.
Moving to our new home in New Jersey, I displayed the Nataraja very prominently in my living room. A few months later, I had this desire to pursue dance. I couldn't wait anymore! That's when I came across my Guru Mitra and resumed dancing.
There was a reason why Nataraja came into my life. Even if it means re-aligning my furniture, I practice in his prescence. My kids are contended to see me dancing while I am cooking or supervising their homework.
I am glad I am able to pass this love of Odissi to them. All thanks to my friends, who gave me the most perfect farewell gift- the Singapore Nataraja.
Learning to Count
Rhythms of Dance and Music celebrated 20 years in 2007. Guru Mitra hired a world renowned choreographer to train us.
We spent over 2 months in a bootstyle dance camp- dancing from 10.00 to 5.00 every weekend.Many of us could be dancing in our sleep. Our choreographer was a hard taskmaster. Nothing short of perfect was acceptable. One mistake and everyone would have to repeat.No getting away with wrong footwork or mismatched coordination.He had his eyes on us at all times. That's when I learnt to count 100. We literally did the dances 100 times. I never again said, "I will practice it a 100 times."
I had finally learnt to count.
Our choreographer transformed our lives , our dance forever- all through hardwork and repeated practice. Each of us realized our true potential. There were no shortcuts. We had to push ourselves to the limit. Ever since, I have come a long way. I am a different person, a different dancer all thanks to our incredible choreographer who taught me the dancers math.
We spent over 2 months in a bootstyle dance camp- dancing from 10.00 to 5.00 every weekend.Many of us could be dancing in our sleep. Our choreographer was a hard taskmaster. Nothing short of perfect was acceptable. One mistake and everyone would have to repeat.No getting away with wrong footwork or mismatched coordination.He had his eyes on us at all times. That's when I learnt to count 100. We literally did the dances 100 times. I never again said, "I will practice it a 100 times."
I had finally learnt to count.
Our choreographer transformed our lives , our dance forever- all through hardwork and repeated practice. Each of us realized our true potential. There were no shortcuts. We had to push ourselves to the limit. Ever since, I have come a long way. I am a different person, a different dancer all thanks to our incredible choreographer who taught me the dancers math.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Second Chance
As a child, I grew up in the posh locale of Defense Colony in Delhi. I could count the doyen of classical dance, Sonal Mansingh as my neighbour. I would wait for hours to catch a glimpse of her. As I started learning dance, I grew up watching Kiran Segal and Ranjana Gauhar perform. They were dancers famed for their beauty and impeccable Odissi. They were my idols.I never missed their shows.
I didn't watch hindi movies. They were not cool. No one in my school did that. I am glad I spent all those hours watching dance. Somewhere deep down in my subconscious I developed a love for Odissi.
Going to college, priorities changed. My dreams were forgotten.On the eve of my wedding, I did a program on the local TV network.The interviewer asked me if I would dance after marriage? How would I balance family and dance?
Without a moments hesitation, I replied, "I can juggle kids, home and dance. I love dancing and I am sure my family is going to be very supportive."
It took me years to get back to dancing. There was always heart ache if I were to watch Odissi. Moving to New Jersey, I had to find an answer to my restlessness. God gave me a second chance when I found Guru Mitra, the most amazing dance teacher, right in my neighborhood. She became my mentor and Didi as she took on the task of teaching me, and giving me hope every step of the way.I hope to follow in her footsteps and continue this guru shisya parampara.
I didn't watch hindi movies. They were not cool. No one in my school did that. I am glad I spent all those hours watching dance. Somewhere deep down in my subconscious I developed a love for Odissi.
Going to college, priorities changed. My dreams were forgotten.On the eve of my wedding, I did a program on the local TV network.The interviewer asked me if I would dance after marriage? How would I balance family and dance?
Without a moments hesitation, I replied, "I can juggle kids, home and dance. I love dancing and I am sure my family is going to be very supportive."
It took me years to get back to dancing. There was always heart ache if I were to watch Odissi. Moving to New Jersey, I had to find an answer to my restlessness. God gave me a second chance when I found Guru Mitra, the most amazing dance teacher, right in my neighborhood. She became my mentor and Didi as she took on the task of teaching me, and giving me hope every step of the way.I hope to follow in her footsteps and continue this guru shisya parampara.
Dancers guide to Edison
If I were to resume dancing I had another challenge-the hour long drive to Somerset.Every Saturday morning, I would dread the drive. But I was made of sterner stuff. Before long, I was the driving maniac on route 287. Soon I was exploring New Brunswick and Princeton for shows and rehearsals.
I started getting restless on the weekends. I was missing my drive. Edison was one hot spot I hadn't been to. I had only been to rehearsals and eaten the mouth watering samosas of Oaktree road.
In a desperate search for dry cleaners I came across City Cleaners at Sugartree Plaza. They saved me the pain of lugging my dance outfits to India. I do over 12 shows a year. You can well imagine my desperation!
Another time, I had broken a tikli which is worn in the hair. I had only one piece and needed to fix it before my next show. In less than 20 minutes, my jeweler at Corals and Beads Gallery got it done. Of course, I had been their valuable customer, picking up beads during that time span.
For my dance photo shoot, I chanced to come across Precious Video Memories. It was sheer coincidence! Making use of the free public car parking on Middlesex road, I happened to spot this studio. It's been a great find, since they specialize in dance coverage.
All these sojourns haven't been purely dance related. I have squeezed in quality shopping time. Having been away from India for so many years, Edison is truly Little India for me.I can fulfill my chat cravings and shopping sprees at one destination.
I am looking forward to performing at the Edison public library next spring.
I started getting restless on the weekends. I was missing my drive. Edison was one hot spot I hadn't been to. I had only been to rehearsals and eaten the mouth watering samosas of Oaktree road.
In a desperate search for dry cleaners I came across City Cleaners at Sugartree Plaza. They saved me the pain of lugging my dance outfits to India. I do over 12 shows a year. You can well imagine my desperation!
Another time, I had broken a tikli which is worn in the hair. I had only one piece and needed to fix it before my next show. In less than 20 minutes, my jeweler at Corals and Beads Gallery got it done. Of course, I had been their valuable customer, picking up beads during that time span.
For my dance photo shoot, I chanced to come across Precious Video Memories. It was sheer coincidence! Making use of the free public car parking on Middlesex road, I happened to spot this studio. It's been a great find, since they specialize in dance coverage.
All these sojourns haven't been purely dance related. I have squeezed in quality shopping time. Having been away from India for so many years, Edison is truly Little India for me.I can fulfill my chat cravings and shopping sprees at one destination.
I am looking forward to performing at the Edison public library next spring.
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